Anti-Vaxxer scam: Seniors did NOT die in vaccination trial from flu vaccine

[Coventina]

Just in case you come across this scam story from anti-vaxxers:

It may not shock anyone to hear that among a group of 3,000-plus Americans no younger than 65 and with an average age of 73, 23 of them passed away during a six-month period. It wouldn’t shock actuaries, who know that the average life expectancy in the United States is 78.6 years. It wouldn’t shock statisticians, who know that the U.S. death rate among 75- to 84-year-olds is 4,472.6 deaths per 100,000 people a year, which would equate to over 100 deaths per 3,000 people annually.

Nonetheless, it appears to have shocked the editors at the anti-vaccine website Health Impact News. In 2013, that outlet published a story with the misleading headline “23 Seniors Died After Receiving Flu Shot Sold by Pharmacies.” Snopes continues to get worried inquiries about the claim every flu season. Health Impact News’ story came from the publicly available insert that comes with a specific flu shot marketed as “Fluzone High-Dose,” which discussed the results of scientific testing that went into approving the vaccine for use in 2009:

Within 6 months post-vaccination, 156 (6.1%) Fluzone High-Dose recipients and 93 (7.4%) Fluzone recipients experienced a serious adverse event. No deaths were reported within 28 days post-vaccination. A total of 23 deaths were reported during the period Day 29–180 post-vaccination: (0.6%) among Fluzone High-Dose recipients and 7 (0.6%) among Fluzone 1 recipients. The majority of these participants had a medical history of cardiac, hepatic, neoplastic, renal, and/or respiratory diseases. No deaths were considered to be caused by vaccination.

*snip*

Health Impact News spends several paragraphs convincing the reader that giving seniors a higher dose of a flu shot is inherently wrong while ignoring voluminous scientific evidence supporting the notion that the elderly need a higher dose, and that such a product could save countless lives. Ironically, they then present (without context) the results of a study that unequivocally demonstrates that a higher dose did not create any increase in long-term adverse effects but did increase the immunity of seniors. It is true that 23 people (out of 3,800) died during the 180-day period following vaccination, but this death rate is on par with the U.S. rate for that age group regardless of participation in a trial.

Because no evidence is provided for the claim that these 23 deaths were linked in any way to the trial in either Health Impact News’ reporting, the raw clinical trial data, or the published report based on that trial, we rank the assertion as “False.”

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/23-seniors-die-from-flu-shot/

Posting because I happened to be on Snopes this morning and saw that this story was #3 on their "Hot 50", and it's flu season.

Get your flu shot!!

[Johnny2X2X]

1. Russian generated story?

Really is disturbing that a lot of the anti vaxxing stories are Russian generated propaganda. They really are attacking us from all sides.

And this gives a good idea on how powerful propaganda is. People will literally put their children in harms way because of propaganda. They're making decisions that could kill their own child, and the propaganda is so powerful that when you show them it's Russian generated propaganda, they still refuse to dismiss it and continue to risk their children's lives and health.

[Act_of_Reparation]

3. Why assume that?

Anti-vaxxers lie. All of them. At all times. The entire position is predicated on lies.

[safeinOhio]

2. I got my Senior, mega

(4 times the normal)dose 2 weeks ago.

[Aristus]

4. I was 2 for 3 yesterday in clinic.

Three refusals of the flu vaccine. I managed to convince two of them to change their minds. When the third one refused again, I told him to get his health care somewhere else.